Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is a healthier version of my famous Dump & Start Alfredo recipe. This healthy alternative is made with evaporated milk instead; NO HEAVY CREAM! Substituting evaporated milk for the heavy cream cuts the calorie and fat content by more than half making this a guilt-free, healthier Alfredo!
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is here for all of you who requested a lighter version of my famous Dump and Start Alfredo Recipe! I tested quite a few different ways to substitute the heavy cream, and I’ve gotta say, this comes pretty dang close to the real thing!
Instead of using heavy cream, this recipe uses evaporated milk. Did you know that heavy cream has 5 times the amount of fat that evaporated milk does? And more than double the calories?
If you are getting ready for swim suit season and trying to was as light as possible, this SKINNY version is 100% made for you!
To make this healthier, evaporated milk is used instead of heavy whipping cream. It comes together a little bit differently than the original recipe though.
For this recipe, the noodles, seasonings and chicken broth cook together in the Instant Pot. The evaporated milk needs to be tempered before being added to the hot noodles and broth.
Once the noodles have finished cooking, taking a few noodles at a time, stir them into the evaporated milk until about half the noodles are in the evaporated milk. At that point it is okay to dump the evaporated milk and noodles back into the Instant Pot.
The tempering is done so the milk doesn’t curdle. Turn the Instant Pot on saute LOW and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese until it melts and thickens the sauce. And there ya have it! SKINNY Alfredo!
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo
(Printable Recipe Below)
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is just as tasty as my famous Dump & Start recipe only without the heavy cream! Substituting evaporated milk for the heavy cream cuts the calorie and fat content by more than half making this a guilt-free meal!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp minced garlic dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb dry linguine noodles broken in half
- 3/4-1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the broth, garlic, salt and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Break noodles in half and add to the pot. All noodles should be covered with the broth. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 6 minutes. Allow for a 6 min NPR before QR the pressure. Stir the noddles, some may be slightly stuck together, but that is okay. Once you add in the evaporated milk and warm through, all will be well.
- Pour the evaporated milk into a SEPARATE BOWL. Temper the milk by adding a scoop of noodles at a time into the milk and stirring. Once about half of the noodles have been mixed with the evaporated milk, dump the milk and noodles back into the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute LOW and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the sauce has thickened. Enjoy!
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Check out these other Tasty Recipes!
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Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo
Ingredients
Instructions
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 296 Total Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 973mg Carbohydrates: 35g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 8g Protein: 16g
Joyce toomey says
Will gluten free noodles woek…or less time?
karlibitner says
Oh, I don’t know about gluten free noodles.. I’ve never cooked with them. Have you used them in different Instant Pot recipes? If they typically take less time, I would cut the time a little.
Sheila says
I’ve used gluten free pasta in other dishes and shortened the time. I only did it for 2 or 3 min on high.
lynne says
can i add a frozen chicken breast to this? if so, would i adjust the time?
karlibitner says
In order for the pasta to done but not mushy, I wouldn’t adjust the time at all. I would either add cooked chicken breast at the end or add small chunks of uncooked chicken at the beginning but keep the time the same. If you are adding the chicken at the beginning, you may have to adjust the liquid amount. Make sure all of the pasta is covered!?
Chandra says
Can you substitute coconut milk for evaporated milk?
karlibitner says
I haven’t ever tried that so I’m not sure if it will work. If you decide to experiment, come back and let me know how it goes!! ?
M says
Nutrition/serving info?
karlibitner says
This will serve 4-6 depending on desired serving size. ? I am not positive on the nutritional information for this recipe, I’m sure there is a website that we could plug all the ingredients into and figure it out though!
Jazmin says
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I used my local grocery store ingredients and calculated for 5 servings, and it came out to:
185 calories
30 carbs
5 fat
7 protein
770 sodium
5 sugar
HOWEVER, I plugged in gluten free linguini because that’s what I have to eat.
karlibitner says
Thank you!! This info will be beneficial to many! ❤️❤️
Kathy says
This was great! I’d like to double the recipe though. Any suggestions with how to handle the broth? My plan was to double everything else but I’m not sure if I need to use 5 cup of broth. Also, am I correct in assuming the same cook time?
karlibitner says
Yes! Same cook time! 4 1/2 cups of broth would probably work. Just make sure all of those noodles are covered and you’ll be golden! ?
Debra Rampenthal says
AMAZING,,,,,,,,I added a pound of sliced mushrooms on top of the noodles before I pressure cooked the noodles. The stirred on some raw spinach with the Parmesan cheese. Sautéed some shrimp with Old Bay seasonings and served them on top.
karlibitner says
Love those additions, Debra! Sounds like a winner!!
Yahaira Mullinax says
What does NPR and QR stand for?? Sorry new to the Instant Pot. Thank you.
karlibitner says
Hi Yahaira! Welcome to the Instant Pot! NPR stands for natural pressure release (basically you do nothing but let the pot sit) and QR stands for quick release (so turning the knob to let the pressure out). You an find a more detailed description here: https://cookingwithkarli.com/?s=Lingo
Anne says
Hi 🙂
If I use whole wheat pasta do I need to change the cook time or liquid?
karlibitner says
Hi Anne! I haven’t ever cooked with whole wheat pasta in the Instant Pot before so I can’t say for sure. I just did a little research online and it looks like the whole wheat pasta cooks a little faster than regular pasta. I would try to cook for 5 minutes HP, 5 minutes NPR then QR. Hope this helps!
Heather says
Did you try cooking it with the evaporated milk? In my experience with other recipes, the evap milk doesn’t cuddle. In fact that’s why I use it ?
karlibitner says
When I was testing it, it turned out a little weird for me. Not totally curdled but just weird. So I tried other methods. If it works for you, go for it!! ?
Shanna Ciano says
I tried to pin this and Pinterest blocked it saying the link could lead to spam?
karlibitner says
Really? Thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into that.
Thanks for your help!
\karlibitner says
Looks like Pinterest is having a glitch today, a lot of websites are affected. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! Hopefully it will be solved soon!!
Robyn says
Ok this is so so so good! I usually just buy jarred Alfredo sauce and it’s ok, but nothing overly fancy. This! This is amazing! It’s creamy,
It’s rich, it’s delicious, and it was so easy! Not even sure I’ll need to go back to my jarred sauce again!
My only critique, if you could call it that, is I found the noodles to be quite well done. I think next time I will either cut the cook time down by a minute, or do the QR a little sooner. Otherwise; yummmmm, I wish I had garlic bread to go along with this!
I should also note that I chopped up a couple chicken breasts first, sautéed them for a couple min first, then proceeded with the recipe as is. The chicken took up room in the pot, so not all
My noodles were covered and stuck together a bit, but it all worked out in the end. I think I might try to add mushrooms too, maybe some real bacon bits as well. But mmmm yummy!
After how amazing this was, I don’t even see the need to try the full fat version. By the taste of this; you would NEVER know its “skinny, the richness is AMAZING!
Thank you for this, I will DEFINITELY making this again.
karlibitner says
Thank you so much for your detailed comment, Robyn! Such yummy additions! Try tossing some spinach in at the end next time too- sooo good! I do that quite often. ?
Angela says
Hi! Would cook time and ingredient measurements be different if I used spaghettini instead of linguini?
karlibitner says
Hi Angela! Spaghetti is quite a bit thinner than linguini so I would cook for 3 or 4 minutes with a 4 minute NPR. Make sure to stay what the Instant Pot in case it starts to volcano out the top! With cutting down on the NPR time it may want to come out the top. So just keep an eye on it and if it starts to bubble up use the back of a long spoon and close the vent and wait 30 seconds to a minute then try again. Measurements should stay the same!
Sian says
Hi. May I ask what it means when it says minced garlic dried? I’m sorry if that is a silly question. I have a bit of a migraine today and it’s not quite making sense to me. Thanks!
karlibitner says
Hi Sian! You can find this in your grocery store by the spices. It will be by the garlic powder. Or you can substitute 4 fresh cloves of garlic if you’d rather!
cathy says
Can you substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth? We’re vegetarians not vegans so the cheese and dairy are fine.
karlibitner says
Hi Cathy- yes, that would be just fine!
Cathy Tate says
This was a delicious “less guilt” option! Thank you for the recipe. Instead of tempering the milk, I microwaved it for a minute instead. This recipe is definitely going into my permanent file!
karlibitner says
Great idea microwaving it for a minute!! Glad to hear the recipe made the cut for your permanent file. ?
Mary Ann Wotherspoon says
I just sauted shrimp separately & added last. Next time I may use seafood broth instead. Delicious dish. A keeper!!!
karlibitner says
Sounds positively delicious!!
Darlene Barber says
Glad to find this recipe! Most of the recipes for pasta in the pressure cooker are with red sauce, and not every in my family is a fan, so this will be great. Quick question, do you think fat free half and half might work? I always have that on hand, and I’m not a huge fan of evaporated milk.
karlibitner says
Sure! I think that would be a great alternative to try! Hope you and your family love it!
Ginger Soule says
I had made hardboiled eggs and made a cake in my new instant pot. This was my first entree recipe and I was not disappointed! It was easy, took no more time than my stovetop version, was healthier, and I used fewer pots. Also, my family liked it, too. I will be trying other recipes from you. Thank you!
karlibitner says
So happy to hear this, Ginger! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Cristy says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I am a huge Alfredo fan and this hit the spot! No more running to Olive Garden for my fix. This will be a staple. Thank you!
karlibitner says
So happy this recipe made your staple list!! ❤️ glad you loved it! ?
Pamela Mahn says
We tried this recipe tonight, but I forgot and put the the evaporated milk in with the noodles to cook. The sauce wasn’t horribly curdled, but there were some lumps. I added broccoli in smallish pieces at the end and sautéed a bit longer to cook through. Flavor was delicious, we will be making this again…and following the directions!!! ?
karlibitner says
Glad it still worked out for you! Give it another shot and you’ll love it even more!
MK Watson says
You say to cover all the noodles. What if the broth doesn’t cover all of them?
karlibitner says
I would add a little bit more broth until the pasta is all covered. ?
Amelia says
Have you ever tried doubling the recipe? Thanks in advance!
karlibitner says
I personally haven’t, but I know of there that have with success!
Katelyne says
if i double the recipe it said in a previous comment to use 4 1/2 cups of brith, but how much evap milk should i use? double?
karlibitner says
Yes, you would double the evaporated milk. ?
Angel says
This was AWESOME! My picky husband actually had seconds!
I had no evaporated milk so I used 2% with 2T cornstarch mixed in.
I also use better than boullion instead of broth these days.
Fresh grated lucatelli pecorino Romano and this was AWESOME!
Thank you!!!!!
karlibitner says
Great to know it works well with regular ol’ milk! So happy it got your Hubby’s stamp of approval!
Glinda Lathan says
This was delicious and so easy. The only thing I did different was to use all of the 12 oz can of evaporated milk…’cause I had nothing to do with 4 oz left over?. It took a little longer to thicken up but it still turned out great. Thank you for sharing!
karlibitner says
Glad to hear you enjoyed my recipe, Glinda! ❤️ Thanks for commenting!
Sara McCarn says
The recipe doesn’t say to drain the pasta after it cooks… are you supposed to drain it or does the broth become part of the sauce?
karlibitner says
You are exactly right- the broth becomes part of the sauce. The majority of the broth will be soaked up by the pasta while it cooks. Leave the remaining broth in the Instant Pot and it will be part of the sauce.
Emily Smith says
I’d like to try this tonight, but only have mozzarella on hand. I know there will be a different flavor, but will it still thicken the sauce if I use the same amount of hand- shredded mozzarella?
Thanks in advance!
karlibitner says
Hi Emily! Mozzarella should thicken the sauce. Is will probably make the sauce more of a stringy sauce, instead of the classic consistency of regular Alfredo if that makes sense. Let me know how it goes!
Jena says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I’ve made it 3 times in about 2 1/2 weeks already! It is so yummy! Have to make a double batch to have any leftovers. 😊
karlibitner says
Glad you love it, Jena!
Eileen says
Has anybody used chickpea pasta if so is there anything different I have to do thanks
Amber says
OH MY GOODNESS. Where has this been all my life?? I am pretty new to using an InsantPot, but this recipe is so easy it’s basically fool proof.
I substituted whole wheat noodles for regular ones. I still cooked them for 6 minutes but only NR for 4 minutes and they were perfect!
I am usually a jar-of-Alfredo sauce junkie. However, the evaporated milk and Parmesan have me 100% converted! This recipe is so good, you wouldn’t ever know it had the word “Skinny” in front of it.
Thank you so much for sharing!
karlibitner says
BEST COMMENT EVERRRRR!! Thank you so much for that glowing review, Amber!! So happy you loved it!
Smorezgirl85 says
How do I adjust this for my 3 qt instant pot?
karlibitner says
No need to adjust! Just stay near the pot when releasing the pressure after the NPR, since your pot is smaller, there is a higher tendency that liquid will come out of the vent. If this starts to happen, just close the vent and wait another minute or so before trying again.
Heather says
Can I use whole milk instead of evaporated milk?
karlibitner says
Yes, that will work with this skinny recipe. 🙂
Rebecca Ferris says
This was really good. I make alfredo often using a full fat Cooycat Olive Garden recipe. I have tried several “skinny” Alfredo recipes and all were disappointing —until this one. My recipe is still my favorite but this will become my go-to now. It’s delicious and fast and a huge fat/calorie savings! The only change I made was to add about an ounce of fontina cheese with the Parmesan because I had it on hand and I love the flavor it adds in my regular recipe.
karlibitner says
Wow, such a rave review!! Thank you so much! I am glad you finally found a skinny Alfredo you like! ❤️
Rebecca says
I added cooked chicken after the noodles and sauce was made. It was a hit!
I was wondering if you have used frozen tortellini instead of the linguine noodles? How long do you think you would cook the tortellini for?
karlibitner says
Hi Rebecca!! I would cook frozen tortellini for 1 minute HIGH pressure with a 3 min NPR. 🙂 This is the cook time I use for my Tomato Tortellini soup and it comes out perfect every time!